by Linda Straker
- As of 12 September, there are 1,955 local active cases and 27 deaths
- Wants discussions with a view to finding amicable solutions to curb community spread
- Described ongoing community spread which now has a 30% positivity rate, as a State of Emergency
Tobias Clement, Leader of the Opposition in the Lower House of Parliament said that his office has contacted the Office of the Prime Minister to have discussions about the island’s current Covid-19 situation with a view to finding amicable solutions to curb the community spread.
“I have contacted the Prime Minister because I think it’s high time for the Prime Minister to sit down with the Leader of Her Majesty’s Opposition and opposition parties in Grenada to come up and find amicable solutions to this state of emergency.” Clement described the ongoing community spread which now has a 30% positivity rate, as a State of Emergency.
“The Opposition Leader, the opposition groups, and others have been truly left out of this pandemic development in Grenada and now it has gotten to a point where you can say, to the boiling point. I do believe that we have ideas …that we can bring to bear with the government.” Clement formerly was a backbencher to the ruling administration but resigned in late 2019. He became leader of the Opposition in April 2020 and recently announced an alliance with the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Clement represents the constituency of St George’s Northeast, and believes that the Government of Grenada should engage in bilateral discussions and with Grenadians in the diaspora as part of efforts to boost the human resources and medical supplies for the country as part of the Covid-19 response.
“We can reach out to the Government and people of Cuba. We can reach out to China. I mean think about it…we can reach out to the diaspora, there are doctors who are trained in Grenada who are willing to assist,” said Clement who is an educator at St George’s University (SGU).
On 17 August 2021, the Ministry of Health announced an upsurge in Covid-19 local active cases. As of 12 September, there are 1,955 local active cases and 27 deaths.
I certainly empathize with my fellow countrymen/women in the ongoing struggle to successfully confront the assault of the COVID-19 pandemic. As has been said in so many ways, Grenada clearly does not have the technological wherewithal to deal with a widespread outbreak of the disease and so, before things get any worse, every effort should be made to use all available tools to stop the virus in its tracks. A nationwide campaign to get everyone vaccinated is certainly one of those approaches. But because of vaccine hesitancy and other factors, such a solution might not be immediately feasible. And so, as was the case during the 1918 Spanish flu when there were no vaccines available, the tried and tested control methods of isolation, quarantine, limitations of public gatherings, wearing of masks, hand sanitizing, and other good hygiene practices should be put into full gear; especially since the morphology of Covid-19 seems so difficult to pin down. The problem with the wearing of face masks, however, is that many Grenadians truly cannot afford the cost of the disposable brands and so, the only pragmatic option would be the use of reusable brands. But even in North America where a box of 50 disposable masks sell for around CAD $9.99, many people could be seen trying to stretch their use until they really become unsightly. Even so, since a mask acts as a buffer against the virus attaching itself to the cells of its hosts, the longer a person wears a mask, the greater the accumulation of virus on the mask which in turn increases the possibility of a greater viral load infecting the host. Thus, the best practice should be to minimize the duration of the use of disposable masks as much possible, and in the case of reusable masks, to wash them at the end of each day, and wherever possible, to double up on their use. By adopting these simple measures, everyone, vaxxers and anti-vaxxers will be helping to win the war on Covid-19. Meanwhile, kudos to everyone, including the controversial Kem Jones, who has taken on the responsibility of being their brother’s keeper in these difficult times.
What must be done is encourage Grenadians to get tested and vaccinate. Stop the socializing on the playing fields and small viilage shops. People can do their shopping in the villages but avoid the gathering together. Have a two week lockdown to curb the spread. It won’t hurt. Allow movements for essential services only. For example, movement of farmers, selling of fish and things like these.
I fully agree with you @jan